


Caught up in bruises and neon lights

by Gamebot



Category: Splatoon
Genre: F/F, Maybe graphic violence?, Some Cursing, happy end though, it's ink you tell me, maybe angst?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-21
Updated: 2017-09-21
Packaged: 2019-01-01 07:03:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12151248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gamebot/pseuds/Gamebot
Summary: The duo has a day off, and this time Pearl let's her Octoling partner choose what they're going to do. Marina had wanted to invite her to a concert in Octo Valley for ages and sees this as a good oppertunity to do so.





	Caught up in bruises and neon lights

‘Sooooo....’ Pearl starts. The two of them are sitting in their recording room, working on a new song. Marina uses her laptop to remix some of the sounds they sampled earlier today, while Pearl is writing songtexts.

“Hmm?” the Octoling doesn’t look up from the computer, being too focussed at her work.

‘We got the day off tomorrow...’ the Inkling continues, looking at her partner despite being somewhat ignored, ‘no hosting, no shows, no working on songs...’

“So?” the DJ now glances up from the device, a questioning look on her face. She’s not sure where the rapper is going with this.

‘Well, let’s do something! I want to go out!’

Marina smiles, amused by her partner’s enthusiasm.

“I would like to go out too! What did you have in mind?”

‘I don’t know,’ Pearl shrugs, ‘you always let me pick. How about /you/ choose something this time?’

“Actually, there’s something I would like to do, I’d been meaning to ask you...”

‘Let’s hear it!’ the Inkling cheers her on, curious what she wants to propose.

“There’s this concert that I would like to go to,” the Octoling begins.

‘Cool, what concert?’

“Well it’s in Octo Valley...” she confesses hesitantly. It takes a few seconds before Pearl realizes what that implies.

‘Wait, does that mean I can’t go?’

“No no! You can come, it’s just... I mean, all kinds of people will be there, so it’s not the show that’s dangerous. But eh, we will have to go through part of the Valley. The Octarians there don’t take kindly to Inklings because, you know, the whole war that forced us to live underground...”

_But it's good oppertunity to visit the place again. How long has it been? Over a year? I really miss it..._

__

The Inkling considers her answer, wondering if they can pass through the area without being noticed. Can Marina even walk around there safely herself, or is she considered a traitor? Are the Octarians even aware of her living on the surface?

“Pearlie?” the DJ wakes her up from her thoughts.

‘Huh?’ the rapper comes back to earth.

“You zoned out there for a second,” she laughs, “do you want to go? If you think it’s too dangerous, than we can totally do something differe-“

‘No! I mean, I want to go, even if it’s a bit risky,’ Pearl stops her.

“You sure?” Marina’s eyebrows furrow slightly, “I would hate for something to happen to you.”

‘Pfffttt I can handle myself,’ she brags, only half joking.

“I doubt you can take on all of the Octarian forces by yourself,” the Octoling returns the half-joking tone, though looking slightly worried.

‘Watch me,’ the Inkling boasts.

“I’d rather not watch you murder my entire species,” the remark hits Pearl like a bus, she forgot that she’s indirectly talking about her partner as well, even if she didn’t mean to.

‘I’m sorry,’ she apologizes with cheeks red of shame, ‘I-I didn’t mean it like that.’

“It’s okay,” Marina tries to brush it off, but the she can tell it hurt her. Quickly the Inkling gets up and walks over to her girlfriend.

‘No that was really insensitive of me, I’m sorry Mar,’ she opens her arms as an invitation for a make up hug. She’s reliefed that the Octoling accepts and embraces her back, even if it’s a little too tightly.

‘So eh, how’s the music coming along?’ Pearl tries to lighten the mood by asking about the sound the DJ had been working on. Marina regains her bubbly personality and tells the Inkling all about it, and is curious to hear about the songtexts as well.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You want me to go in here?”

There’s a manhole in front of them, with pitch black darkness under the grating. Several of these pipes can be found around Inkopolis, though many have been closed off for obvious reasons, and a few are located just outside of the city. They lead to underground domes where the Octarians reside.

‘If you don’t want to we can just go back to the appartment,’ Marina reminds her.

“No I want to go, just wanted to check if this is the only way in.”

There’s a very soft wind current coming from the hole, the only evidence that there must be something beneath it.

“Eh, ladies first?” Pearl smiles awkwardly.

‘Are you scared?’ the Octoling laughs.

“I’m not! Just trying to be polite here, sheez,” the Inkling huffs before standing on the grid. The Inkling remains there for a whole minute before Marina says something about it.

‘What are you waiting for? I’ll be right behind you,’ she has a smug grin on her face.

“I just uhm, need a minute to get ready.”

‘You already had your minute.’

“/Another/ minute,” she rolls her eyes, “I don’t throw myself into questionable pipes everyday y’know.”

‘Want me to go first?’ it sounds a bit more sassy than she intended.

“No it’s fine! I’m going! Cod, so impatient,” Pearl takes a last look at the Octoling standing next to her, “just in case I die in this hole,” she pauses, pulling a fake serious face, “know that it’s your fault.”

‘Pearl! It’s safe! Just go!’ Marina laughs, giving her partner a playful push as encouragement.

A sigh escapes from the small Inkling girl before she closes her eyes and switches into her squid form, falling through the grating into the darkness below. The Octoling quickly follow suit, changing into a smaller octopus and slipping through the grid as well.

 

They land in what looks like an actual valley; the sun is just setting in the dome they have fallen in, trees blocking some of the light as there are no clouds in the sky. Or, whatever passes as ‘the sky’. Though they are deep underground, it looks just like the world above. The Octarians’ tech is really advanced, and they have managed to copy the circumstances of the land on the surface. But the domes are decreasing, which is starting to become noticable; there are small glitches on the horizon, revealing it’s just a very, very big screen. Pearl wonders what this means for the Octarians as a species. It will propably drive them to attack the Inklings, if they don’t find a more peaceful solution in time.

Despite being in the middle of Octarian territory, it’s rather quiet. Marina was right, the outskirts are hardly patrolled. There aren’t any Octocopters flying around, nor any Octotroopers roaming the ground. 

‘This way,’ Marina motions for the rapper to follow, who does so without speaking a word, too busy admiring the advanced tech all around her. Fortunately the DJ leads the way by pulling her along by her hand. It’s still a decent walk to the concertbuilding, and they can’t afford to get caught, although the Inkling has already forgotten all about the lurking danger.

“Hey Mar,” Pearl is done looking at the dome, “how much further is it?”

‘Just a little more,’ the Octoling looks back to see if the Inkling is still doing okay. Behind her partner, she notices something close to the rubble.

Her eyes widen in shock, which in turn alert the rapper.

“Marina, what’s wr-“

“Dive!” she yells, pushing her to the ground. Not able to duck in time herself, she takes the blow to the shoulder. It’s an Octosniper, he had been waiting from them to pass by so he could shoot them from behind.

“Marina!” Pearl screams, panicking after seeing her get shot. Despite her being an Octarian, the ink still damages her.

The sniper takes aim again, going for the Inkling, who is to busy worrying about her girlfriend to notice. Marina is still standing, even though being severely hurt. Pearl scurries over to her.

“Marina, are you okay? Fuck...” she hisses under her breath. The Octoling pulls her down with her, a second shot barely missing the both of them.

‘We gotta run!’ Marina pulls her partner to her feet.

They take off, hoping to get out of the sniper’s range.

‘He can’t follow us, he’s not mobile enough,’ she manages to get out between breaths, ‘but we have to be quick. About two shots is fatal...’ the purple ink is still dripping from her shoulder, a painful reminder.

A loud bang sounds from behind them; a third shot. Another miss, a stream of ink appears on their left. Quickly they jump over it and take a turn, the concert building is already visable. Another bang; the fourth shot is blocked by a tree, but drips of ink stain their clothes.

‘A little more,’ Marina increases the pace, Pearl can hardly keep up, nearly stumbling over her own feet. Bang; an hit, this time the Octoling is struck in the leg, causing her to fall onto the ground. She let’s out a cry as she hits the concrete floor.

“Mar!” Pearl yells out, hurrying back to her wounded friend. At this point she was drenched in the purple ink, hardly able to move forward. The Inkling desperately tries to get her loose from the inkpuddle, pulling the fallen Octoling by her arms. 

“Marina, you gotta switch, I can’t pull you ou-“ another shot nearly hits smaller girl, leaving a few drops of ink on her anxious face. Marina switches to her octopus form immediatelly, allowing Pearl to pick her up and run away. As this smaller figure, she is even more soaked in ink. Bang; the sniper misses the Inkling girl, but leaves an ink trail on her back, slowing her down a little. Pearl makes a final sprint to the entrance, slamming the door behind them.

They are late, the show has already started. Hardly anyone notices them coming in, despite the loud noise. Only a few people standing at the edge of the crowd turn around to look, but quickly go back to dancing. Marina switches back and tries to get the purple stains off of her, while Pearl keeps asking if she is okay with a worried look.

_I can’t believe she literally took a bullet for me, twice! Didn’t she say two shots would be fatal? Holy fuck, she could’ve been dead._

__

__

“Fucking hell, you could’ve died!” she’s not as angry as she is reliefed to see her still alive.

A weird looking crab guy walks up to them, he’s wearing sunglasses inside for some reason, giving off a weird vibe.

‘You alright there buddy?’ he turns to Marina, who slowly nods in response, ‘ya got shot by the troopers?’ another nod. The carbman looks at the largely unharmed Inkling, grinning widely.

‘Looks like she took a bullet for you! Definitelly a keeper!’ he gives her a playful elbow in the ribs, which hits harder than he intended.

Maybe she could have appreciated the joke more if they hadn’t just narrowly escaped being splatted. The guy notices that the octoling is having a hard time removing the ink.

‘You ain’t gonna get rid of it like that, lemme get you a towel or something,’ the concert go-er leaves headed for the bar.

“Are you okay? You didn’t have to do that for me...” Pearl is still concerned, inspecting every inch of her girlfriend to see if there are any marks or wounds. Nothing, safe for a few big bruises.

‘I’m alright... I just, need a minute,’ Marina is still catching her breath.

“Please don’t ever do that again,” the rapper embraces her tightly, making the ink stick to her as well. It hurts her bruised partner a bit, but she doesn’t say anything about it.

‘I couldn’t let you get splatted now, could I?’ the DJ tries to cheer her up and offers a weary smile.

The crab returns with a few towels, offering them to the duo. Though they appreciate his help, both are glad he left to join the crowd again. After Marina has assured Pearl that she is doing fine for the hundred time, the Inkling finally calms down. When the performing artist starts playing a new song, the Octoling suddenly regains her energy.

‘Oh I love this song, it’s my favorite!’

She drags Pearl into the crowd, but still staying somewhat close the edge. The music isn't like anything the Inkling has heard before, it's mix of rap and techno, maybe something else she can't really put into words.

_Marina seems fine now, but I can still see the bruises on her shoulder and leg. She is dancing like nothing happened..._

__

__

‘C’mon Pearlie,’ she extends her hand as an invitation, ‘dance with me!’

The Inkling couldn’t possibly deny her request and joins in. Now being somewhat reassured that Marina is okay and cheerful enough to actually enjoy their night out, she looks around the place the Octoling has brought her to. 

The room isn’t too big, she’s been to grander concerts. Hell, their own concerts have propably gotten more people than this. Not that she’s downplaying the performance, going to a smaller show is really nice as well, the atmosphere is great. The medium sized hall only has a few dim lights, but the flashing laserlights on stage make up for it, as well as the glowsticks and other light-up assecories the crowd is wearing. Secretly she wishes they had brough some too.

The performing artist is a DJ, of course Pearl can figure out why Marina likes him so much. She can’t understand a word he is saying, her Octarian is very basic, but his beats are fresh.

_Maybe I should ask Mar to teach me sometime._

__

__

A new song echoes through the room, they’re both surprised to hear it’s one of their own, although a remixed version.

‘Hey, this is our’s!’ Marina’s eyes sparkle with excitement, making her dance even more exuberantly.

_I haven’t seen her this happy in... weeks? Months? I had no idea she missed this place so much._

__

__

The Octoling is having the time of her life, even starting to dance with other people, though never parting from the Inkling’s side.

Pearl is getting exhausted from all the moving around, so she takes a little break to admire the stage and big crowd. And, her girlfriend, of course. The bright colored flashing lights reflect in her eyes, and the Inkling can’t help but stare. Eventually Marina notices.

‘What’s wrong? Aren’t you enjoying he concert?’

“N-no! There isn’t anything wrong, I am enjoing myself. I was just eh...” she lowers her voice, blushing, the Octoling can barely hear her over the music, “you look cute...”

‘Aww Pearlie, you’re adorable,’ she gives the Inkling a peck on her head. Feeling like it wasn’t quite enough, the squid pulls her back for a better kiss. A bit boldly maybe, Pearl gives her partner’s lip a quick bite, earning her a surprised gasp. They are interrupted by a loud voice coming from the stage.

It seems like the performing DJ noticed them, he points and says something in Octarian, which makes the crowd turn towards them as well. They both have fire-red cheeks, but the Inkling doesn’t even know what was being said about them.

“Eh Mar, what’s he saying?” she tries to whisper in the Octoling’s ear.

‘He saw us, and eh thinks we’re cute. He is asking if we want to come on stage,’ she whispers back.

“...” Pearl looks at Marina, “... do you want to go on stage?”

She’s still blushing, and the people are awaiting their answer.

‘Of course I do!’ she cheers, though somewhat hushed, waiting for the rapper’s answer as well.

“Well then lead the way,” she gives her partner an encouraging push.

The crowd cheers and helps them get on the platform, from there they oversee the entire room. In the middle is the crabguy that helped them earlier, he is waving. Marina waves back with a smile, so Pearl feels obligated to as well. The DJ says something that makes the crowd go wild, the Octoling beside her has to laugh too. There’s no chance to ask her for a translation as the beat starts and everyone starts going wild again. They stay on stage for the remainder of the performance, dancing untill their legs can’t keep them up anymore. A last message from the guy behind the DJ tables, which Marina translates for her.

‘He eh, hehe,’ she laughs nervously, ‘he says we’re a sweet couple and uhm,’ the Octoling hesitates, ‘asks if we can wrap up the concert with one more kiss...’

“You don’t need to ask me that,” Pearl grins.

The octopus pulls her closer, pressing their lips together, being cheered on by the crowd. 

 

They’re both tiredly walking back through Octo Valley, to the manhole. Marina is still enjoying the afterglow of the concert, a faint smile on her face. She looks like she could fall asleep at any moment.

“Hey,” Pearl pokes the Octoling’s side to get her attention, “you still awake?”

‘Yeah...’ Marina sighs.

“...Do you want me to carry you back?” she offers, despite being just as exhausted herself.

‘If that isn’t too much trouble,’ the DJ can’t refuse the offer.

“It’s not if you can make yourself a little smaller,” the rapper hints. Marina nods, changing into her octopus form, and gently let’s herself flop onto the ground. Pearl picks up her now tiny girlfriend and carries her back to the pipe they used to get here.

“We’re almost there,” Pearl notifies the Octoling. But she doesn’t hear her, the octopus has already fallen asleep in her arms.

“Damn, I didn’t know you were that tired,” she chuckles, before slipping through the pipe, back to the surface.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

The slam of the door wakes her up. Marina peeks around, eyes only half open. Pearl is still carrying her petite form, presumably to the bedroom so they can both sleep. The Inkling hasn’t noticed that she’s waken up already. Her eyes look tired.

_Pearl must be exhausted too, I feel bad for letting her carry me all the way back. But I was so tired..._

__

__

The octopus sighs, enjoying the embrace of her partner a little longer. The rapper gently lays her down on the bed, unsure about what to do next; wake up the seemingly asleep Marina, or just join her. She decides on the second option. After Pearl has tucked in the small octopus, and given her a goodnight kiss, she let’s herself fall onto the bed as well. She switches to her squid form, cuddling up to Marina, not even bothering to get comofortable under the blanket. A soft snore sounds from the pink figure within seconds.

_Even her squid from is small, so cute..._

__

__

The Octoling bring her girlfriend closer, pulling up the covers for her. Still asleep, Pearl let’s out a sigh and cuddles a bit closer.

_Guess I’ll have to thank you tomorrow_

__

__

A small kiss on the cheek will have to do for now.

_Goodnight Pearlie..._

**Author's Note:**

> Something a tad bit different, maybe? Let me know if you guys like it.
> 
> Propably the last thing I'm gonna post in three months, I'm going on a two month vaction in a week, so I won't be writing or uploading I assume. However! Feel free to leave suggestions about what you would like to see next. I still got one idea for a bit longer angst-fic, but I won't be putting that up untill I'm back. Or, if I manage to finish it on my trip, which is unlikely.
> 
> I will be sharing my vacation blog here, in case anyone is interested in following on me on my trip in Japan!


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